73 articles, newly commissioned or revised from the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Materials Science & Engineering, cover the whole range of knowledge and current research in wood science. Topics discussed include the availability of economics and timber resources, wood products such as plywood and mineral-bonded wood composites, the major commercial and wood species of the world, fundamentals of wood properties and behavior, factors causing deterioration and their control and principal processing methods. Recent developments in the use of acoustic emission techniques and biotechnology in wood processing are dealt with and the range of materials covered includes woody materials such as bamboo, coconut wood and rattan, not hitherto treated by any similar publication. Extensively illustrated, with nearly 200 photographs, drawings and tables in over 300 pages, each article is intended to serve as the primary source of information on a given topic. The reader is guided to further reading by helpful cross-references and nearly 500 up-to-date citations in the bibliographies at the end of each article. A comprehensive, three-level subject index is also provided. The Concise Encyclopedia of Wood & Wood-Based Materials will be invaluable to architects, engineers, builders, plant managers, wood technologists, purchasing agents, politicians, timber merchants, and furniture manufacturers.